Homemade “Vicks Vapor Shower Tablets”

This post on homemade Vicks Shower Tablets was originally published in March 2012. I’ve updated it in May 2017 to make the recipe printable.

Have you seen the commercials for the Vicks Vapor shower tablets thingies? You put one of these disks in your shower, and voila thanks to the vapors in it, you’re magically healed, your cold is gone, and your face is shockingly free of snot. I always used to watch the “Noxema girl” splashing water on her face in those commercials and wondered how she was able to wash her face without being completely overrun with boogers. I’m the only one? Yes? I’m stuck in the 90’s? Ok, moving along then…

Regardless, Vicks makes these things and I’m sure they’re super expensive for something that is just going to wash down your drain.

You know where I’m going with this, right?

Yep.

I made them myself.

The idea started a few weeks ago when my sweet little nephew Parker came down with Croup for like the 1,438th time. My sister mentioned that they were taking long steamy showers with him to try to clear out his lungs. My brain started churning and I thought “surely there can be something they could add to the shower to help him even more”. Homemade Vicks Vapor shower disk thingies were born.

An easy homemade way to make your own Vicks Shower Soothers to clear stuffy heads and clogged sinuses.

Servings: 12

Author: Sarah

Ingredients

1cupbaking soda

1/3cupwater

15drops (each)lavender, eucalyptus, and rosemary essential oils

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, combine baking soda and water until the mixture forms a thick paste. It should be so thick that you have some of the mixture on a spoon and turn it sideways, the paste would stick to the spoon.

Add 15 drops of each of the lavender, eucalyptus, and rosemary essential oil to the mixture. Scoop the paste into a muffin tin lined with muffin cups. I use these liners for all my baking because they're compostable and nothing sticks to them. Nothing!

Some people prefer to make these without the essential oils, and then add a few drops of each to the hardened disks just prior to using.

Bake at 250 degrees until hardened - about 25 minutes. Alternatively, you could set them out overnight for 12-18 hours. Store in an air-tight container until needed.

Remove from the paper liner prior to using, and place on the floor of your shower. Breathe deeply, and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

I'm not a doctor (nor a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker), so if you have any medical conditions, contact a medical professional.

These homemade Vicks Shower Tablets are wonderful to have around for cold and flu season, and I use them during the four months a year when my allergies are on full display. Homemade Vicks Shower Tablets are easy to store and make wonderful gifts for friends and family.

I would only use Young Living essential oils. They are therapeutic grade and not distilled using chemicals. If you’d like more information on this company, ask me 🙂 There are lots of cheap oils that don’t even compare! email me at jklasen@albanytel.com

actually, my upline has checked with New Aromatics and with therapeudic oils u can ingest them and you cannot ingest New Aromatics. Have used several oils and Young Living just is the best. No Comparison, U get what u pay for.

I don’t think it would work as well….you need steam and oxygen which would be created by the hot spray of the shower head. If you sink one of these in a tub of warm/hot water, there is no oxygen and thus you wouldn’t be able to get as much out of it. That’s just my opinion though.

Storing them is simple, use a cool dry place and a paper lunch sack. I own a small handmade soap business and we make bath bombs that are similar. As for using them in the bath, I wouldn’t suggest it. That is quite the high levels of oils to use in a single bath. Essential oils are wonderful but can be harsh on your skin in high amounts, Try this recipe for the bath, it is very similar the the bath bombs I make and sell and get lots of positive feedback about. The citric acid does cause a fizzing effect in the bath but most, especially children, enjoy it. http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/style/make-bath-bombs.htm

So please be very careful about the information anyone supplies to you about ingesting essential oils. Even though they are natural they can be very toxic used incorrectly. I would investigate any multi-level marketing outfit like doterra or young living both have some very, very questionable practices and reply on a bunch of inaccurate marketing hype. New Direction Aromatics is good, Majestic Mountain Sage, or even From Nature with Love all have quality essential oils. For the best safety information google ‘Martin Watt essential oil safety” Please be safe.

Please, please if anyone talks about taking essential oils internally and how pure their are that you can do that please run very far from them. Taking any essential oil internally pure or not is not something to do lightly or informed only by a multi-level marketer. Google essential oil safety Martin Watt to get safety information on essential oils. Doterra and Young Living are both multi-level marketers that have very questionable practices.

i wonder if you can’t find the extracts/oils if you could just use “vicks vapor rub” and either melt some then add it to the mix or just add a scoop of it (without melting it)…..just as a quick easy way to do it (i’m too lazy to search for oils), but great idea!

When my children were young I just took a bowl of hot water and put a couple of teaspoons of vicks vapour rub in it under my children’s beds when they went to sleep. They didn’t like it being rubbed on them.

I was thinking if people went to the effort of making the disks they could be used in a bowl too so wouldn’t require the child having a long shower.

Has anyone heard of Now Essential Oils? GNC has them and Although it says not for internal use (I’m almost positive they’re talking about eating it), is it an ok brand to use in the tablets? Was thinking it would be a nice gift idea for the other moms in my daughters class, especially since we are hitting flu season.

Wow, what a great idea! I could really use that right now as I am on the tail end of a nasty sinus infection (and when I wash my face the thing I do right after I dry it is blow my nose because you aren’t the only one to be snotty afterwards!).

Geez … I have to blow mine not only after my shower and after washing my face but also after brushing my teeth AND putting drops in my eyes (contacts)!!! I must be really snotty (but not in a personality way ;)!!!

Thank you for creating and for sharing such a great idea ~ we all need help during the ‘season’.. I wanted to let folks know you can get your essential oils at most grocery stores now in their Health Food Sections – also most Natural Food Stores have them too –

PS – Please don’t waste money with high priced oils such as Young Living – (read up on them is is a scam) – buy local and retail not multi level to save $…

Thanks for sharing! I will be trying this idea. Maybe with some oils for energizing for the morning and oils for relaxation for the evening. And of course, your recipes for now with all the pollen we have going on now!!!

What she probably found on Pinterest was from someone like me who pinned her page so we would be able to find it quickly! If you join Pinterest, come follow me “Veterkins”. I have a board called “The Natural Spot” where I have lots of great things like this pinned!

Sarah, when you have an account, you learn to be on it for a while and then leave it for a while so you actually can find new stuff.

You are a genius. I find that a neti pot works great too, but definately not so smell-pretty as your homemade vapor therapy. Of course, it does feel a bit like drowning until you get accustomed to filling your sinuses with saline. Now I just snort it like cocaine so the pressure really breaks up the clogs, then I suck it like a loogy to the back of the throat and hack it all back up out of my mouth and into the sink. Then I reverse the process, in through my mouth, up through the throat and out the nose. Don’t it sound FUN??!! Then I brush my teeth and tongue and even try to scrub my tonsils and throat a little. Finally, a rinse with mouthwash and somewhere in all of that a floss. It is a very sexy process. Definately going to add your remedy to the routine. Region Ten (Oklahoma/Texas) allergens, come at me, bro!

Between my daughter’s first yr of school and her bringing home every single sickness that someone gets to her little brother to horrible seasonal allergies I want to scream. When its not one its the other. Is the lavender necessary if so can it be replaced with something else? So far everything lavender I have come in contact with I have an allergic reaction. Honestly at this point I would be willing to suffer the rashes and migraines as long as it gets them to feel better. Momma up all night dealing with kiddos up all night does not make a happy house the following day.

The lavender is just part of what is in Vicks, but if you have sensitivity to it, I’d definitely avoid it! My sister used lavender in a bath for her son and he had “yeasty balls” for months. Yikes! Some people are definitely sensitive to it.

If they made an Ambien or Tylenol PM essential oil I’d totally put a few drops of that in this for when my little guy is sick. 😀

You might want to google a famous essential oil blend called “Thieves Blend”. (with a fascinating history connected with grave robbers who survived the black plague way back when…turned out they were the perfumers who worked with EO’s…the other two groups who had higher statistics of survival were the leather workers who worked with EO’s to tan leather, and those who lived in the lavender fields…lavender is very antibiotic/viral). It has 5 different EO’s (not lavender) in a base oil, or water, that are extremely antibiotic / antiviral. I make it all the time in a small bottle with water to spray in the car (Everyone take a deep breath and get that into your lungs!) or in a bottle with a dropper to use as hand sanitizer. You can buy it online, but it’s really expensive. I just make my own.

I want to respond to Melissa above who says she has a sensitivity to Lavender. I have never heard of anyone having a bad reaction from a lavender that is really and truly 100% pure oil from the flower of the plant. The problem is that most lavender on the market is 100% synthetic! Lavender is great for burns, but if you put a chemical based lavender on the burn it will make it much worse! The vast majority of the world’s lavender oils come from France, but they are exporting much more of the oil then they are able to grow, which means that much of what is being exported is synthetic or altered in some way. I’m not trying to pick on France or lavender EO, the same goes for most of the other EOs on the market that come from different parts of the world. I’m picking on the industry in general. Often distillers will use the whole plant to get a higher yield, when only the flower (or some other part) is supposed to be used, and weeds are often harvested along with the plant and thrown in the mix. This completely changes the chemical makeup of the resulting oil, and any chemical pesticides, weeds, or other contaminants will become highly concentrated along with the EO during distillation so the resulting oil can actually be very harmful to people.

Even higher quality brands on the market that say they are 100% pure, have a musty, sticky, almost pungent smell. A truly 100% pure essential oil should smell clean, almost crisp, with no lingering chemical undertones.

They are better than organic because not only are they guaranteed to be free from any chemicals synthetics or dilutants, but the right part of the plant is used, along with correct distillation methods, and the plants are sustainably harvested to ensure their health for the long-term. Plus, doTERRA has 10 year exclusive contracts with the growers around the world, so we can be sure that we won’t experience fluctuations in price which so often happens in the industry. doTERRA’s oils are the most pure and potent essential oils on the market today.

They are so pure they are safe to ingest!

Plus, they have a blend called OnGuard which has the same ingredients as the aforementioned ‘thieves oil’ (lemon swapped out for wild orange). It’s a powerful immune booster, is very affordable, and you can make anti-bacterial hand spray with it that you can then spray in your mouth 🙂

I am also allergic to lavendar. When someone brings fresh lavendar into work I break out and get a migraine. Pure oil would not help given the plant is also a problem for me. So I just avoid it and am fine. Great recipe for the discs…I will be trying this!

Wow…I thought I was the only one allergic to lavender. Sorry that the rest of you are as well, but nice to hear I’m not alone in this. It gives me migraines! I also have a strong sensitivity to patchouli…makes me very irritable and eventually moves over into severe headaches. I avoid both like the plague!

Love this recipe for the disks, though. I might try it w/ peppermint like someone suggested. thanks!

Haha, Im fine with lavender, but like you, MustHaveCoffee… Im stongly allergic to patchouli. I thought I was the only one and therefor, a weirdo! Even the smell of it makes me itch horribly and get headaches.

hey, reading about all this lavender loving I suddenly remembered reading an article about how lavender stimulates estrogen production in males… Am I making this up? or was it sensationalism in a crappy magazine I read on the potty?… google… Wikipedia to the rescue, under lavender oil:

“Contraindications

Lavender oil has recently been implicated in gynecomastia, the abnormal development of breasts in young boys. Denver endocrinologist Clifford Bloch hypothesized the link after three boys presented with enlarged breasts. Subsequently, Derek Henley and Kenneth Korach of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C., discovered in lavender and tea tree oil the presence of compounds which both suppress male hormones and mimic female hormones.Because sex hormone levels normally are low prior to puberty, young boys and girls particularly are sensitive to estrogenic and androgenic compounds. The discovery of the gynecomastia link in boys has led some researchers to suspect lavender and tea tree oils, which are present in various personal care products including shampoos and lotions, may also contribute to the increased incidence of early breast development in girls.Discontinuation of use of these products resulted in rapid reversal of gynecomastia in Bloch’s young patients.[14][15]However, the conclusion that the gynecomastia actually was caused by the essential oils in the products used by the three boys are currently being disputed by the Natural Artisan Perfumers Guild and Cropwatch on the claimed basis of insufficient evidence.[citation needed]”

ok, so the jury is still out… but might want to take it easy on the little lads with the lavender oil… Or go training bra shopping soon.

I’m allergic to lavender too. Doesn’t matter if its synthetic or the actual plant. I get a bad migraine, sinus infections, rash, etc. It doesn’t matter if there is contact or scent alone. 100% oils don’t solve an allergy unless its oil of benadryl.

wow.. we should start a lavender migraine club…lol… when I was reading the ingredients for these I was thinking..lavender…no..that will never do… i was kind of hoping to see some sort of menthol in this so it would smell like vaporub which i’m kind of addicted to…

My daughter is highly allergic to Lavender and even being in the same room as a plant will make her break out in huge hives, get a migraine and generally become severely ill! She was riding on the bus home from her friends one day a few weeks ago and someone on the bus had a small lavender plant with them and my poor daughter had to get off the bus. She was sick for hours. We have found no other plant that she is allergic to as yet, so I’m sure we could come up with other oils to put in them. 🙂

I was about to ask about the lavender as well! I guess there are many of us who are sensitive to it! My mother LOVES pure Lavender Oil in her baths, but when I go to visit she has to skip it, as it gives me a pounding headache. Actually she puts lavender in almost everything, plants and/or oil, both make me quite ill. I love the peppermint idea though! I will have to give these a try!

I thought I was the only one that had a severe reaction to the “stress relieving” scent. HAHA! I too am allergic to ANYTHING Lavender scented. I cannot tell you what it smells like but I can tell you if some around me is using it. I get an instant Migraine headache even around a lavender plant. I love the idea but with an alternate for the lavender. I am not fond of peppermint either, I love the sandalwood EO but I am afraid to use that with the menthol EOs. Is there any other scent I could use that would not clash with the menthol?

I thought I was the only one that had a severe reaction to the “stress relieving” scent. HAHA! I too am allergic to ANYTHING Lavender scented. I cannot tell you what it smells like but I can tell you if some around me is using it. I get an instant Migraine headache even around a lavender plant. I love the idea but with an alternate for the lavender. I am not fond of peppermint either, I love the sandalwood EO but I am afraid to use that with the menthol EOs. Is there any other scent I could use that would not clash with the menthol?

Patchouli is an enemy of mine! It gives me horrible headaches and makes me angry too. When I was looking for the eucalyptus there was a bar of patchouli soap right above it. I couldn’t wait to get home and wash it off and out of my nose. I didn’t know it at the time but I dated a guy that would wear it sometimes. Didn’t figure I was moody around him because of the patchouli.

WOW- Im now, all but certain, Im allergic to lavender as well. I Never heard of anyone else who felt like I did at the smell of it!! It gives me the worst headache and just the slightest scent makes me nauseous, although that part may be psychological due to me knowing the terrible headache to come. Its in almost everything meant to lull and soothe…and I feel stuck LOL. Now when I get the nasty looks, gasps from others when I say “No- I dont like lavender” (like ive suggested assassinating the pope) I can just muse back with “Im allergic, and after all, its hard to love something that makes you feel bad(^_^) “Thanks for the ‘freeing’ info that im not crazy…ok, not for disliking lavender….peace out peebles!!

This is BRILLIANT! Thank you so much! My first thought was…oh, I hope she’s not using bees wax or oil because that will eventually coat and clog the pipes…and I wasn’t sure what the base was…baking soda! Of course! I don’t use chemical cleaners in my house so I buy baking soda by the case. I usually plop my kids when they’re sick, in the tub with those same essential oils, but this is fabulous! Thank you!!!

Thank you, thank you. Those shower disks aren’t available in stores anymore. My pharmacist said they weren’t popular enough… I’m pretty sure I bought them by the case with all of my sinus issues, but I guess that wasn’t enough. Where do you store the ones waiting to be used?

In my neck of the woods (AZ) these are called Shower Soothers, but I haven’t been able to find them lately. I love them and think you could use any essential oil that you like and use them, EVEN WHEN YOU’RE NOT SICK! Sort of a fancy-schmancy, yummy way to shower for those of us that aren’t thrilled about sitting in the tub. THANK YOU!

You have no idea how much of a life saver you are!! I use to buy these at the store but they were so expensive but they were the only thing that use to help get me to sleep with my bad allergies and now with this cold I thought it was hopeless. I am making these first thing in the morning! Thank you so much you are a genius for coming up with this recipe.

Lavender is on the Vicks ingredients, but of course you don’t want to use it if you’re allergic! I’m guessing lavender is added to Vicks because it is calming. Perhaps swap out lavender chamomile if you’re looking for something calming.

They also make Vick’s (and a generic brand) in a stick that looks like chap-stick. It is awesome for when you are on the go. It has a “protective cover” on it so you or your child can put it up or near their nose. Unbelievable how well it works and you don’t go around smelling like Vapor Rub.

Yes, I know exactly what you’re talking about! I had a horrible sinus infection when I was pregnant, and I took that stick with me when I was flying. I spent the whole decent with that shoved up my nose to keep my sinuses from exploding; they’re awesome!

Got a story on that. My first husband used them but dang if I could figure out how they worked! I’d stick them up to my nose and breathe in and all it would do was suck up against my nose. No air transfer, no smell, no nothing. Never COULD figure out what the gig was. Well, fast forward to my THIRD husband, (a blessing for sure and a keeper!) and now he uses those things too. (Sure wish we could find a generic one or even a steady supply! They’re awfully expensive for the what? A week’s worth of use you get out of them? Maybe 2?) I asked him what I was doing wrong and to his hysterical delight, seems I wasn’t removing the lid!! Go ahead and laugh, it’s OK, I did too. He still thinks it’s the funniest thing in the world, that lovable twerp! Seems both husbands were good for peeling the labels off and it all looks the same! (‘Scuze any spelling mistakes, seems Chrome’s spell check has died. Gah!)

I just want to add that you should not use any kind of vicks vapor products for children under 2 unless the product specifically states that it can be used. I am a CMA and had recieved an email from the clinic saying that the vicks products can actually cause more mucous production and cause repiratpory distress in young children and infants due to smaller airways. I am not sure what ingredients they put in the vicks shower thingys or if these ingredients in yours will do the same but just wanted to make sure people were aware. Great idea though, now I have to buy the essential oils!!!

We use the “baby Vicks” all the time. I don’t think the ingredients are different, just the ratio. It doesn’t smell as strong as the regular. Added use from a nurse practitioner…rub Vicks on your neck when you have a sore throat. It really does help with the pain. Thanks for the recipe, I’ll be making a batch in the morning.

I am hoping to figure out how best to make these where they would be fine for a baby. My little 4 month old is perpetually stuffed up. (um, might have a bit to do with my tendency toward chocolate and milk products.)

Thank you thank you (a million times over) for taking the time to post this. I used to buy these tabs and they’ve been discontinued and I was so sad. I kept saying to myself “Self, you need to find time (I work full time, am enrolled in an MBA program, and am a single mother to two small girls) to figure out how to make those darn snot tablets!”

Oh, blessed baby Jesus, I could kiss you. I used to buy “Shower Soothers” – a tablet that you tossed in the shower – and I adored them. I have chronic sinus disease… and they helped soooo much. But I can’t find them any more (the last I bought, I got off Amazon for a ridiculous amount of money), and I’ve been so sad and congested.

First, I just want to say how glad I am that I stumbled on your blog. I love you’re writing. You sound just like my friends and myself.

Second, I’d like to point out that the only problems that were reported with using Vick’s in children under 2 happens when parents apply the product directly under the child’s nose. Nasal passages are more narrow in children. The improper use if Vick’s causes an over-production of mucus which can be dangerous. In no way was it advised to discontinue use on kids. As a fellow medical professional, I’d advise the previous poster to research the topic for the most accurate of information. (End of soapbox)

Here’s the dumb question of the day… where do I buy the essential oils, and how much should I expect to spend? Feeling like I want to go out right now and get the ingredients to make them tonight – but not sure where to go! Thank you for this awesome post!!

Amazon sells them for a fair price. If you live by a Whole Foods or Central Market, I’d start there. I found mine at our local organic store. They were a bit pricey so I’ll most likely order from Amazon from now on but I was impatient and ready to create! 🙂

Please don’t go to whole foods. I used to get my oils there (a brand called aura cacia) and they say they are 100% pure, but have a musty, sticky, almost pungent smell. A truly 100% pure essential oil should smell clean, almost crisp, with no lingering chemical undertones. Now that I have been learning so much about essential oils, I would never put a brand like aura cacia on my skin or even diffuse it in the air. Most essential oils on the market are riddled with chemicals (pesticides, etc), made completely in a lab with synthetics, or have been diluted in some way.

They are better than organic because not only are they guaranteed to be free from any chemicals synthetics or dilutants, but the right part of the plant is used, along with correct distillation methods, and the plants are sustainably harvested to ensure their health for the long-term. Plus, doTERRA has 10 year exclusive contracts with the growers around the world, so we can be sure that we won’t experience fluctuations in price which so often happens in the industry. doTERRA’s oils are the most pure and potent essential oils on the market today.

Pure essential oils are worth the money. They’re just so much better. I always use Mountain Rose Herbs. Certified 100% organic, ethically harvested, and great prices. They are a fantastic company and I have never gotten a bad product from them.

You use the name anonymous, it should actually read, “salesperson for doTerra!” The fact is that doTerra is not the only company who sells pure therapeutic grade essential oils. doTerra are also outrageously priced, even for distributors. Also your line, “they are so pure they are safe to ingest” is deceiving. Essential oils should only be ingested under the care of a qualified holistic health professional. The safety and dosage varies widely as do the contraindications. These falsehoods are spread by salespeople to increase sales. A qualified holistic health professional can give you accurate information regarding the use of essential oils. If you are interested in buying pure essential oils without the doTerra price tag go to Mountain Rose Herbs, they even have the recipe for Theives at and if you want to make the On-Guard exchange the The lemon for orange (doTerra calls it Wild Orange in the hopes of making you think it is something special) the botanical name is Citrus sinensis also known as Sweet Orange. While writing this reply I considered whether or not to be anonymous, but, so that you know that I am in no way affiliated with the sales at Mountain Rose Herbs I will sign this reply with my real name. My hope is to only endeavor to educate and keep essential oil use protected from the conspiring salespeople at doTerra or Young Living.

Do you know how long to bake them? I am an impatient creative soul and want to use them tonight in my shower. 🙂 Thanks so much for the post also! I have a very tough (firefighter/cop) hubby who turns into a whinny baby when he gets a tiny cold. He often says “I think I’m dying…..” Oh man. I could definitely use these for him.

It kind of depends on how much water you put in there. I would say less than a hour if your paste is pretty thick. Have you ever seen the “man cold” video on you tube? That is my husband, and it sounds like yours as well.

They ALL do that! My husband does too. I have to bring him things and hide my face so he can’t see me rolling my eyes. He’s actually told me he thinks he’s dying too. LOL Little kids are better than grown men with a cold. This will definitely work for him! Thank you!

I’m pretty sure they have stopped making the Vicks shower things. They used to get really hot in when they got wet (like burn your fingers and toes hot). I was looking for them a few weeks ago when I couldn’t shake the cold I got. I am soooo going to hold onto this and make these next time I get sick. Do you know how long they can be stored?

oh my goodness this just made my day! Shower soothers aren’t available anymore and I fell in love with them when I was pregnant with my son ans couldn’t take anything for my cold! Now I am 8 months along and so happy to know I can make my own.

I made a batch of these last night because everyone in my family has a nasty cold. I am just wondering if I did something wrong because when we put them in the shower they melted so fast that we didn’t get the benefit of the vapor from the oils. Any suggestions?

I did this tonight for my big baby *aka* husband. I baked them at 300 for an hour and they are definitely dry. Too dry almost. I’m not sure how the paper is supposed to come off but I imagine once you put it in hot water it’ll soak off pretty easily. Maybe though since they’re so dry, they’ll stay “alive” longer in the shower than Becky’s did.

I found this on pinterest and can’t wait to make these! My husband and I were totally addicted to the Vicks shower soothers. Any time I go into a new pharmacy I look to see if I can find a knock off shower tablet…a few times I’ve lucked out and I actually have one box in my bathroom that I’ve been hording until I reallllllly need it. So glad I found your recipe! Yay!!!

We got around to using the ones I baked tonight. They had no fragrance at all! I dissolved on in boiling water in a bowl and had hubby breathe over the bowl. Nothing… I ended up just putting a couple drops of each oil in the hot water. So I guess an hour at 300 is way too long. If anyone figures out the magic time/temp combo, I’d like to know!

For the person who had them dissolve super quickly, I had that issue with one of the batches I made. I think my issue was too much water in the mix, and putting them in a place in the shower where they got too much direct water.

I had more success making them with less water, and putting them on our little shelf in the shower.

I was wondering if I could use the essential oils from Walmart? I don’t like shopping online, so that resource is limited to Amazon, or driving 35-40mins to a shop that does carry them (twice as much as Walmart)…..so, is that brand ok? This is awesome. Also, have youu figured a life-span for them on how long they last?

I’m no expert on this but this is how I would view it… Baking soda shouldn’t pose any harm unless you decide to use one of these darling disks as a metal polisher before it dissolves. If you do decide to use in this manner, you will find scratches left behind on your shiny chrome surfaces, so, I would suggest just letting them dissolve. Baking soda is also widely used as a mild cleaner (for everything from your cheeks to counter tops), it washes away easily so it should not leave much of a residue. Rosemary and eucalyptus EOs are widely used in holistic cleaning products because of their anti- bactierial/microbial (either one or both, can’t remember exactly) properties. All in all, these super disks not only would clean out the sinuses of suffering sweeties but would also serve as a mild cleanser for your bath tub bottom. They should be completely harmless to your pipes.

Steam from running water never seemed to do much for my daughter’s croup – the fastest and easiest remedy was always to bundle her up (if it was really cold – and she only ever got the croup in the winter) and step outside with her. The cool/damp night air almost always quickly helped soothe her croupy cough, and usually the sudden coldness against her face would help calm her down, and getting the crying to stop also helped ease the coughing….

That being said – these are really a genius idea – I’m all for making things cheaper/better on your own than putting money into the pockets of the big companies….

we took my grandson into ER with that same problem and they told us that when they get that bad to do just that; bundle them up and take them outside into the cold air. The cold shrinks the swelling in the lungs and helps them breathe better.

SOOOO excited I just squealed w/ delight at my desk when I found this. I loved and swore by the shower soothers that Sudafed used to make…now you have to buy them on the black market or ebay for $80/box of 3 because they’re nowhere to be found around here. I can’t wait for my next cold so I can try these out 🙂

Just out of curiosity, did you purchase or acquire some of the vicks ones just to see if your worked the same? I’m wondering because I’ve tried other products with not great results. I’m intrigued about the DIY stuff, but I’m trying to figure out the best approach. (Like if I were doing bookcases, I’d measure the similar ones at Ikea)

when my seven year old son was a baby he had bad allergies and i would take a shower with one of the vicks shower soothers & put him in the bathroom in his bouncy seat so that he would get the steam & Vicks without it touching his skin – it was a life saver. I now have a 1 week old and am so glad to find this so that i can use it if needed with him since they dont sell the Vicks anymore (plus talk about a lot cheaper & i know what is in it which makes me & my pocket book feel better!!!) thanks a million! 🙂

Essential oils are very volatile and any heat at all evaporates them quickly. It might be better to make the baking soda “pucks” first, then douse them with the oils. I’d store them in an air-tight container too… Baking them with the oil in them will bake out the oil.

Hi there- just found your blog, thanks to Pinterest. I’m falling in love with you very quickly. You and I seem like we could be besties. Maybe I’m moving too fast? Anyway, love your writing, love your topics, love your little birthday boy! BTW, it wasn’t a dream you had. You did blow up pinterest and you are making tshirts for gangstas. But they are 3 year old ganstas, nobody very scary!

Ok this might sound like the silliest question but before i make these i need to ask…. do you put all the oils in at once or one oil per 4 disks??? Sorry I just want to make sure. Love your blog. So want to make these for my brother for Easter 🙂

Thanks for the great idea! I made some last night and I was excited to try them, but they are extremely crumbly. To the point where I can hardly get them into the shower without them falling apart. Did I do something wrong, or are they supposed to be this way? I even put them into the oven for a while on low heat, so they are bone-dry now. Do you have any tips on what else I might be able to add to make them more cohesive? Thanks!

IF you are looking for shower soothers and do not feel like making or have the time to make them there’s a place online called the Soap Opera (www.the-soap-opera.net) that has a wide variety of scents available for different needs, such as sore muscles, insomnia, relaxing, stuffy nose, etc.

I bet using eucalyptus, menthol and camphor essential oils would be a great mix too. I understand that’s the potent 3 in sunbreeze essential oil – which totally prevented me from getting a chest cold and sinus infection this week. Thanks for sharing! Great idea!

I made some of these last night and tried them this morning. I did bake them for about 10 minutes at 350, because I put in a little more water than I intended and wanted to make sure they were ready today (awful, awful allergy attack the past two days). They were a little crumbly, but definitely a solid puck, so maybe baking helps?

I did about 15 drops of each oil, but I think they need a little more – or else I need to be more liberal with my “drops.”

A word about neti-pots: my ENT recommends using the squeeze bottle as opposed to the neti-pot, because you can control the pressure by squeezing. (I use the one made by NeilMed.) Also, if you’re using this method, you ***MUST*** use distilled water. Regular tap water contains a lot of bacteria, some of which is potentially fatal (check recent news for some horror stories about brain-eating amoebae). Finally, sinus rinsing can be addicting, because you feel so clean afterwards. But, you shouldn’t do them more than once a week, twice at the maximum, because they also rinse away the mucus that lines and protects the sinus, which can make allergies worse.

I made some of these last night for my girls. They will love them! The allergy season started early this year. A question: do you know any reason why I should not add some food coloring to the mix? These could make a nice gift with a little pink or blue or other Spring colors.

For anyone with asthma, especially children, you should not use this! I am a respiratory therapist, specializing in pediatrics. All of the essential oils listed in the “recipe” can actually exacerbate asthma symptoms and worsen any cold symptoms. Vicks is not recommended for anyone with asthma, it says so right on the box. Also the author says she used this remedy for her nephew with croup- croup is caused by a virus in the throat, not in the lungs. (although it can move into the lungs). This remedy may open the sinuses, but the irritation caused by the essential oils will cause more swelling and irritation to already inflamed swollen tissue. Sorry to be a “debbie downer” but I have seen too many kids become sicker with home remedies. If your child has asthma please stick to just a clean cool mist humidifier in their room at bedtime. Keep it mold free. Talk with their doctor about pulimcort or some type of preventative. And under no circumstances should anyone with asthma be given a cough suppressant.

Wow what a … lovely person…. I have asthma and use these! I’d rather use a home remedy than take a drug.. Good Lord all these drug pushers are out of hand. I don’t do routine-I won’t take your vaccines-I don’t want your drugs

As a note to others with Lavender sensitivities; Lavender gives me an instant migraine and makes me sneeze (a co-worker actually backed up my sensitivity saying that she had a lotion with just a teeny amount of lavender scent in it and everytime she put it on a room away I would coincidentally start sneezing even though I had no idea she was using it). Curiously when on vacation in Maui a few years ago we stopped at a Lavender farm and I had no issues…must be the synthetics that bother me.

Thank You so much for this recipe! I saw it on Pinterest and WILL be trying it (without the lavender oil). I haven’t been able to find the Vicks Shower Soothers anywhere for the past few years and I loved them, they were the only thing that helped me when I had a cold/sinus infection/flu.

Hi – these are great :>) when my son who is now 23 had croup we wrapped him up really warm and took him out into the cold air – works a treat – we’d done the steam up the room by boiling the jug over and over and over …. but this remedy was best :>))

this sounds really nice…i have a mild addiction to Vick’s Vapor Rub, but recently I read that the inactive ingredients are pretty scary and involve things like “spirits of turpentine”…i like your essential oils alternatives:)

Question, why baking soda and not corn starch? Baking soda is a deoderizer and corn starch is not but can be used to absorb the oils and water too.. no idea how this would work and if it would still make a “puck” as it dries and hold together enough to dissipate in the shower in the way we are looking for, but I thought maybe you have a reason you used baking soda that helps explain this some? Or maybe can help me understand why at least. Thank you very much for this idea and information!

This is a great idea!!! I made mine with Tea Tree oil. Since I already clean my toilets with baking soda and vinegar, I thought that dropping one of the discs into the toilet would be worth a try. It worked great!! I dropped it in, let it dissolve a bit, added the vinegar, cleaned it, let it sit,and flushed.It is really clean and the tea tree oil gives it a nice clean smell:)Thanks for posting this!

I looked this up in Google under asthma and eucalyptus and have not found anything that says not to use it, actually it is very contrary. Can you (Nichole) elaborate on the above comment. I’m just curious because my son has asthma.

Yes, that’s strange. I have had asthma/chronic bronchitis my entire life (let’s just say 50+ years) and have never heard this. Eucalyptus doesn’t bother me and I take cough suppressants and use Vick’s VapoRub when needed. I’ve never had any issues. I will say that the cold, crisp air is very effective. When it’s hot out, I just stick my head in the freezer for a couple of minutes. lol Works for teary eyes from cutting onions, too. 😉

I’m no doctor … just a mom … but my son gets croup all the time. The doctor suggested cold air. Like the commenter above, wrap them up really warm and sit out in the cold air or go for a ride in the car with the windows down. Works every time.

More thanks heaped upon you! Making my 2nd batch now and trying the baking thing. Love them and gave some to my daughter who is currently in love with lavender. This is a genius idea-we think you are terrific!!Denise

After reading the entire group of comments here, my brain wandered off and thought: If you made up a batch of baking soda tablets, how many different things could you use the tablets to do if you added secondary ingredients as needed? One person mentioned using these in the toilet and adding the vinegar. My mother in law swears that using baking soda to clean the shower door will remove the soap scum — just add lemon juice. I know you can use lemon juice and soda to clean drains, so you could drop the tablet into a drain and pour in a little lemon juice to clean. Perhaps you could make the tablets and add the EO drops just before getting into the shower.

Not only that but it also sets the recipe for bacterial growth. Hints increased chance of pneumonia and Bronchospasms. The sinus’s cool and filter the air we breath in, when that air is warm trapped bacteria we breath in with O2 instantly start to “breed”. Where does that trapped air end? In our lungs (aveoli to be exact) again pneumonia!

I’m going to make some of these today! I even got some cutsy muffin liners so I can give them as gifts to all my snotty friends 😉Thanks for the great idea, and I am LOVING reading your blog. So funny!!

I am so glad I ran across this! I haven’t been able to find the Vicks things in forever! Between colds and the horrible allergy season that has permeated the southeastern US since March, my sinuses are a mess! Yay!!!

If you live in WA, Bartell Drugs still sells these in their generic brand…. Just thought I would mention if you don’t want to be creative!

PS, I am allergic to lavendar too… I first found out when my mom put a bunch of lavander (the plant not an oil in a jar) on my pillow. The next day I had a rash on my face, neck and part of my arm that was on the pillow. Oops!! Love the smell though!

Mine stuck to the muffin liners and the liners stuck to the pan. They all crumbled when I tried to take them out of the pan. I dumped them back in a bowl and made baking soda meatballs instead. I am letting them air dry right now.

You people are spending way too much on your essential oils. You should go to http://www.MysticWays.com instead since most of these high priced companies get their product from the same global supplier as MysticWays and charge you for all their advertising and fancy labeled bottles. If you’re supposed to be so frugal you missed the boat on this one.

not sure what i did wrong but when i cooked these for 20 minutes, after i took them out of the oven they were stuck in the pan..i used regular muffin paper ups as i would with cupcakes but could nt remove them…

I just made these the other day; Here is what has happened for me. Comments welcomed.The tablets dissolved way to quickly (in less than 10 second.) The scent was not at all there – I think the baking soda absorbed the scent! And I put a lot of oil!Any help would be appreciated 🙂 Thanks.

I had such high hopes and was let down by such an epic fail. First i broke a spatula because the baking soda doe not mix well. They never dried , then after seeing the post about putting them in the oven they splattered and were all crumbly but still wet inside. 🙁

I had such high hopes and was let down by such an epic fail. I broke a spatula because the baking soda does not mix easily. The mixture never dried even after trying to use the oven.I had flakes and clumps everywhere. And Yes I did follow the directions. 🙁

My pharmacist said that vick’s discontinued the shower soothers last fall, so those of you that have found them, congrats! I’m really looking forward to trying this out, since I can no longer purchase the original. Thanks!

My pharmacist said that vick’s discontinued the shower soothers last fall, so those of you that have found them, congrats! I’m really looking forward to trying this out, since I can no longer purchase the original. Thanks!

So I have tried this recipe at least 5 times and my “pucks” dissolve in less than a minute. I have tried letting them air dry for 24 hours, putting them in the oven for 20 minutes and no luck 🙁 Any suggestions?

Awesome idea! I sit here sneezing as we speak & my DD is all congested. I’m excited to try this, but my real question, & possibly the most important (quite frankly, I’m surprised noone has asked this yet)…wait for it…how in the heck do you take a 5 minute or less shower!?!? I.Can’t.Even.Fathom. LOL!

Ugh, spring colds are the worst! They’re so cruel because it’s sunny and warmer, and yet before summer comes, the germs need to get you one more time!

Ha on the shower. I shower like I do everything – efficiently! Get in, wet hair and shampoo. Rinse, and apply conditioner. Let it sit while I soap up. Rinse hair (while hair is rinsing, the soap comes off the bod too). Then a quick wash of the face and I’m done.

I don’t use the shower to wake up like my husband does. He could be in there for 20 minutes if no one is policing him.

I just made these; I think I added a bit too much water, because it took quite a bit longer to dry. They are dry now, and ready for use. However, I’m just wondering if I can use the same cupcake pan again for regular food, or should I now use it for projects, due to the essential oils? Thank you.

Yep, you can absolutely use them again for food stuff. Essential oils even if they’re not food grade are used in lots of things around the house. I use essential oils in my surface cleaner all the time, so I use it for cleaning the kitchen all the time.

Hey I had a crazy idea! Does anybody remember their grandma putting their head under a tea towel with a bowl of steaming water. What if you made this in mini muffin size and plopped one of those bad boys in the bowl for an instant treatment?

I’m a registered aromatherapist and love this idea. I am, however, disappointed to read the marketing going on with Young Living and DoTerra essential oils. There are great places to get essential oils online, you just have to do your homework. I don’t buy from MLM essential oil companies because the prices are WAY too high. Save yourself some money. I will gladly give some recommendations if you email me. afreshessence@gmail.com.Oh, one more thing. I wouldn’t bake these after adding the essential oils. Heat, air and light degrade the oils. Add them after, as someone suggested already.

Woot!! Thank you so much for this great idea! I’m highly allergic to lavender, but will absolutly try some chamomile instead. I was wondering if anyone had thought of using orange, lemon, or grapefruit oil to help with wakeing up in the morning?

Thank you so much!! I also found you on Pinterest. (Pinterest sign-up should come with an addiction waiver!) My husband used to love the Shower Soothers, but I thought they had a harsh, chemically acrid smell. I am DEFINITELY going to try making my own now! We get the big bags of baking soda at Costco, so I’ve got plenty to play with.

Just curious: would these work with dried crushed herbs/flowers added in? Would they hold together? We use baking soda in cheesecloth as deodorizing sachets in the teen boy’s room. If it worked with herbs or flowers, you’d get the fresh scent and the natural deodorizing power of baking soda without the funky artificial junk in commercial room deodorizers.

Wow. Quick reply! What I meant was for putting them in the corners of his drawers and closet (with the dried herbs). For a shower tablet, I’d use the oils because I don’t think crushed herbs would be strong enough. Or would you recommend pils for a deodorizing tablet too?

Ahhhh, oh yes then I think it could work. Don’t add the oils though until after you’ve “baked” the disks. I used to make “deodorant cakes” for our diaper pail, and it was somewhat the same principal.

Another trick I’ve used is putting a few drops of essential oils on a cotton ball and hiding it in little corners of rooms/drawers, etc. Less mess that way, and you can put more oils on the cotton once the scent has faded.

next cold / flu season im trying this. Usually i just put a bunch of peppermint oil on a wash cloth and throw it into the bottom of the shower. works ok, unless you forget and wash your face with it OUCH!!

Okay, my snot-aversion is in overdrive…nearly ran me out of here!! It’s weird, and I realize it. I also know it’s a good thing I never had kids!

That aside, I used to LIVE on Shower Soothers (or something like that) with peppermint and ecalyptus oil. I didn’t notice it clearing my head as much as my CHEST. It was the BOMB (no pun intended) for clearing up the congestion in my chest.

Thank you so much for this tutorial! I have allergies all year round, and get all stuffed up. These will be awesome to keep on hand and so easy and simple. Oh, and I buy my Essential Oils at the Soap and Candle store that is close to me. I love it! Now I need a recipe for the soap to match these discs!

Totally have to try these! Probably more so with my husband, who is the worlds biggest baby (at least in this house) when it comes to getting sick! I follow him around with medicine like a toddler that just learned to run away. Does he take it? Nope just mopes around “I’m sick”. I need a more “manly” secent than lavender… any suggestions? I wish roses only gave me mirgaines like those who mentioned it about lavender.. I dtop breathing around roses, can’t talk & start to black out…. anyone want to trade?? : )

Lavender has calming properties, so I’m guessing that is why it’s used in Vicks. You could totally just leave it out, or replace it with something manly like sandalwood or maybe if you want something calming you could do camomile? I don’t think it has a strong scent.

This is so great. I have not been able to find them either and my son loves them. My husbands best friend has sinus issues and is always sticking his head in the shower for a quick steam so I know he will love these.

I’m happy I found this website. My hubby and I, we have allergies all over the year. My hubby doesn’t take medics anymore cause it won’t work, and for my part, they nearly won’t work anymore 🙁 I was trying to find a solution and I found you, be sure I’ll try some, cause I am a hand-home-made lover ! Thanks

I am so glad that you are using natural ingredients! When I read the title I thought, “Oh no! Doesn’t she know that it’s unhealthy to heat actual Vicks vapour rub?????) I feel better now and I get a lot of people will too when they use your great recipe. 🙂

If I use 1 cup baking soda, how many disks should it make? I used 2 cups and poured it into 12 cupcake tins. I let them bake for 25-30 minutes, and left them to cool overnight. This morning, they just crumbled apart, stuck to the bottom of the tin liner, and still felt slightly damp. So I thought maybe I made mine too thick. I will try again and bake them longer, to make sure they are dry, but I still wondered how many 1 cup (or 2 cups) should make. Or what about adding a small bit of glue or something to help hold them together?

I tried again, this time baking them at 250 for about an hour and a half and they seemed to do better. The ones I baked in the silicon baking cups came out best. The ones in the paper liners were better than yesterday, but not as good as the silicon liners. I still wonder how many disks you should get from each cup of baking soda…

In reading the comments everyone is as excited as I was to try this. Using the Idea of baking them so they wouldnt be crumbly didn’t work for me. They baked and appeared hard but were extreamly crumbly when I took the paper off. Leaving the paper on didn’t help either they disappear really fast. Help?!?! anyone else have this problem?

Thanks for posting this!! I have been congested for days and I can’t wait to try these out! I made them last night, but I only have Lavender essential oil and not the other two. Do you think it will still work? Also, I think I might have added a bit too much water… is that a problem too?

I didn’t get a chance to go through all the Q&A but can you store them, and if so where? Fridge? Awesome idea, just wondering if I can make them a head of time and how long they still fresh. Or maybe freezer?

If you want to store them, I’d bake them minus the essential oils and then just store them in Tupperware. Add the oils (just a few drops of each) before using them. That way, the oils won’t wear out before use.

Ok so in regards to some suggestions from the comments can I use this as a daily toilet cleaner and what oils would you recommend for those tablets? Also some people mentioned using these in the shower to help them relaz and wake them up in the mornings what oils would you use for those? Thanks I can’t wait to make these!!!!

I would make smaller ones if you wanted to use it as a daily cleaner. I use baking soda and essential oils to clean my toilet (and then a pour of vinegar to disinfect) and am partial to peppermint because to me it smells “clean” and also cuts the smell of boy pee that invades my house.

For wake up discs, I would probably go with citrus or peppermint because they’re scents that seem to perk me up! Too bad you couldn’t make a coffee disc, right?

I really love this and am looking forward to trying it. I actually saw this first on Facebook from a page called What’s in Alex’s Attic?. I wanted to find a similar site that I could pin to one of my boards. Yours was the first one and I noticed that the pictures on your blog are exactly the same as the one posted on the facebook page. It definitely looks like your blog came first. I just wanted to let you know. I have a good friend who blogs and she always adds, when using someone else’s photo, where the original site is and who the photos belong too. She also asks everyone to repin from the original site.

Thanks for letting me know! This is definitely “my post”! So this chick didn’t link back to my post? I’ve been known to accidentally do that with some photos, so unless it was deliberate, I’m not too put out about it.

You can click on the names of those oils in my original post and it would take you to Amazon to buy them. For full disclosure, I’m an Amazon affiliate so if you purchase them through those links, I earn a small percentage. I only link products that I use myself and love.

I may be making these tomorrow since I’ve seemed to have found a way to activate my allergies in the past week… THIS SUCKS!!!! But glad to know that I can make these and not have to worry about it.

To the PP who asked about the EO’s at Walmart, I’m not sure but the Walmart here doesn’t carry the EO’s… they are scents for candles and such and not actually EO… Not sure if that would be all walmarts or not. Pay attention to the packaging and the name… Lavendar Scent or Lavender Essential Oil…

I just made these, and I don’t know if I needed to put more oils in, or what, but when I “test-drove” them in the shower, I couldn’t smell the oils at all. I followed the directions just as you have them….kinda bummed that it didn’t work out for me! I think I may experiment with the amount of oils that I’m putting in..

I actually didn’t bake them, I let them sit outside in the sun until they hardened. Maybe I did something wrong…I was really looking forward to having these for my boyfriend, because his allergies get so bad! Thoughts? 🙂

Just made a batch tonight, and letting them set overnight. Our whole household is sick and hubby has decided he’s going to get better “naturally” and has refused all sorts of medication and only wants natural remedies. (now if there was just one for all the moaning and whining! 😉 ) Thanks for the recipe – please feel free to drop by my blog, I’ll be giving you a shout-out there. Peace,Jenny@SmallTownHippies

I made my tablets today and decided bigger was better. WRONG!!! They took forever to bake. Here’s what I figured:

1 box of baking soda (2 cups)2/3 cup of waterMakes 12 perfect sized tabs. I used a soup spoon to drop the paste into the cups. Start small – it’s easier to add to them than it is to take it out. Also – I didn’t wait until they were cool to add the oils. BIG MISTAKE – especially when I had to bake them longer. Make sure they’re room temp (at least an hour out of the oven) before you add the eo.

I am earning my master’s degree in the arts of teaching. I just made a big batch of these for my cohorts. We are all starting our field experience this fall and will (probably…most likely) end up with runny “back to school” noses. I had my husband test one before I packaged them up. He doesn’t have a stuffy nose, but was willing to be my guinea pig anyway. His response…”May I have one for tomorrow’s shower too?” I think that pretty much speaks for itself. Thank you, you may have just won me the awesome-house-wife-super-student-teacher-of-the-year award!!!

I LOVE the title of your website, it totally en captures what I am all about. I find it thrilling to be able to find ways to save money, reuse things or make special gifts for little cost. Thank you for this post, I look forward to seeing more. feel free to check out my blog sites too. RememberJenniffer@blogspot.com and rememberjenniffer.weebly.com

they took them off the market because when people dropped something in the shower they would bend over to get it and breathe in when they did they were too close to the tab and would pass out… so just hold your breathe if you drop something lol

This is really cool. I saw a friend make these on facebook (she made them into hearts. I’m not a sappy person at all but I instantly was like ‘awwww how cute!!!’. probably something to do with being preggers. lol) Anyway, I looked them up and google brought me here. I had one question: Do you think you could use food dye to make a marbled effect? I thought that would be a lovely concept and figured it just washes away anyway.

OH MY GOODNESS! Thank you so much for this (and Pinterest for sending me here)! I am constantly having sinus issues and can’t breath/have headaches, and the only relief I can get is if I put Vicks on before bed, but that gets messy and I can’t use it during the day! I absolutely cannot wait to try this out! Now I need to check out what else you’ve put on here!🙂

I was just wondering what I can do to keep the muffin liners from tearing apart. I had to throw out half of my pucks because they were so soft I couldn’t get them out of the tin. They were moist. I used the updated recipe–1 C Baking Soda and 1/3 C water. I baked them for 20 minutes at 350, as instructed, before adding the oils. I’m not sure what I did wrong. Please help!

Definitely going to try this! I’m extremely allergic to lavender unfortunately 🙁 So I will be trying this with peppermint instead. I’m allergic to “life” as my husband says lol. Thank you for sharing this!

Sorry if this is a duplicate comment… I couldn’t read throught all of the comments. :). Have you had trouble with them being stuck in the liner and stuck in the muffin tin? I used cupcake liners, but they are all stuck to the pan… To where when I try to pry them out, they break into pieces. Do I need to throw them out or can I start over by adding water to them again? I did bake them per your addendum to original post. Thanks!!

I have tried this a few times now… and have yet to get actual “pucks” I have no idea what everyone else is doing, but I have tried a few different ways including the recipe at the bottom, and this just isn’t working for me. I’m not sure why but the water always floats to the top and the baking soda falls to the bottom, no matter how much I mix it. I also had a really bad incident where even though I used muffin liners, they stuck to the pan, liner and all, I still don’t know what I did wrong lol! Maybe God just doesnt want me to have these.

Trying to bake my second batch of these these now…not convinced that they aren’t going to be crumbly like the first batch. Just wondering if it would work to just put essential oils on a sponge or washcloth or something and then just place that in the back of the shower????

My 3 year old daughter was sleeping last night and I noticed she sounded like she was getting a cold. I seen this on Pinterest the prior night. So, I went on and found it, and noticed I didn’t have any of the oils you suggested. So, I added Vicks Vapo Steam. My husband thinks I’m a rocket scientist now! I made a bunch and put them in a zip lock. This will be in my house at all times now! I highly recommend adding the Vicks Vapo Steam. It is sure to make your family feel better!

Maybe I did something wrong but this didn’t work for me. I used fresh rosemary instead because I couldn’t find any rosemary oil. I did the baking method, added drops again after baking, and for some reason it didn’t really steam up for me. I tried this two days in a row, and it sort of made a bit clearer breathing once I dumped the whole thing into hot water with the drain plugged (about 2-3 inches water) but nothing like what I was hoping.

I made these this weekend, as I have a major head cold and I thought they were junk. 🙁 So disappointed. Not only did they stick to my cupcake liners, when they did come out, they completely crumbled in my hand (and I did do the baking suggestion you had on there). So I just put the crumbled pile in my shower and never once did I smell a hint of the oils. 🙁 Oh well, at least I tried.

I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with them working. However, I’ve had great success with them as have others. To come on here and call them junk makes me think you need more hugs in your life.

I hope your cold feels better. If you have a sore throat, track down Fisherman’s Friend in peppermint. Fisherman’s Friend are the best cough drops but taste like ass. The peppermint is a huge improvement on the taste.

I wonder tho. I read that lavender is harmful for baby boys .it messes with their hormones . might want to research that a bit before adding it. my neice’s OBGYN even told her to not use any lavender lotions of soaps with her new born son.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I luuuuuuved my Shower Soothers and was so sad when I couldn’t find them anymore.

Did anyone else have a problem with the pucks sticking to the muffin tin? My baking-soda-water mixture soaked through my muffin cups and all the pucks became glued to the sides of my muffin tin. It didn’t take much to get them out, but I crumbled a couple pucks in the process. On a positive note though, my house smells AMAZING now after making these!

I just made these. I’ve been hacking for daaays. It feels so good just to hover over them and breathe–I mean really BREATHE! I substituted Tea Tree oil for lavender as I’m allergic. This feels heavenly. I can’t wait to use them.

I love reading your blog too, it cracks me up. Its like you’ve given a blog to the voices inside my head when I read about how busy you’ve been and how you must hate yourself/ are crazy. I can’t stop laughing. Thank you ever so much!

This is so great! I have a 2 y/o that repeatedly gets croup, and since we live in TX, going outside does nothing for him. We have tried standing in front of an open freezer…nothing. The steamy showers and cool mist humidifiers did work…eventually….after several hours of scary coughing. We found out about 3 months ago that he aspirates with liquids, so we now thicken his liquids and that has helped cut down on the croup! I am going to make these tomorrow to use for the whole family…sinus infections all around! Thanks for posting this awesome recipe! You’ve got another follower 🙂

Love this! Wanted to let you know I was in my health store today for some oils and saw that Aura Cacia is now making a Eucalyptus tablet for the shower – for those interested (personally, I like to save $$ and make my own stuff). Also Sarah, just a thought for when the scent fades over time from the pucks – we should be able to just drop a couple of drops of each oil on the puck to reactivate.

Im trying to make them right now but I put in Toco tholin oil I dont know if you can get them every where and i don’t know if it will work like most I found the post on pinterest and I really want to try it coz I’m sick at the moment thanks for the idear .its sure a shame that we can’t get big bags of baking soda over here only small boxes not even enought to filla cup

Hi! I just made a batch using the baking method. I don’t like Rosemary, so I used the Lavender, Eucalyptus, and Spearmint (very, very sparingly!). Also put orange EO on a couple of them. I found your blog from a facebook post a friend made to the newsfeed from a pintrest deal. I bookmarked your blog, and I am enjoying reading your posts. Great ideas! Thank you, Sarah!

I made these as per your updated instructions. When I took them out of the oven I left them in the pan to cool…they stuck to the pan and flaked apart, boo 🙁So I was unable to use them. I am so sinus/allergy laden at present. Any ideas on how to make this better? Maybe I just made them on the wrong day? I don’t know (read that in your best Eeyore voice) Thanks for posting sounds great!

I’m sorry to hear that you had problems with them! If you make them again, I’d take them out of the pans a bit before they’re completely cool. Another option would be to hit up Goodwill and get a cheap silicone muffin tin.

Do those inquiring if you can skip the oils and use a vapor rub….no. I was in a pinch today and needed some relief for my congestion before a show I was singing in and couldn’t find oils anywhere so i used the vapor rub for a last ditch effort, it doesn’t bale well and it melts very rapidly in the shower.

I’m not sure if this has been answered already, but I had an issue. I baked the disks in the oven for 20 minutes at 350, but they stuck to the muffin pan. When I went to pull them out, the top part of the paper liner just ripped, and now I’m really dreading the cleanup. Was I supposed to spray the muffin pan with Pam? Has anyone else had this problem? And also, do you end up with half-full muffin hole or less?

I just made these last night thanks to a nasty stuffy nose. I tried being patient and letting them dry overnight, but with the rain all day today, they didn’t dry so I had to bake them. I did put some more eucalyptus oil after baking them. I tried one tonight in the shower and it was LOVELY! Oh and I also didn’t use lavender, just eucalyptus and peppermint. Next time I think I will just go for eucalyptus and I think I might try mini muffin tins because I think that might be a good size for the length of showers that I take. My nose and I thank you for sharing this 🙂

I just found this and was intrigued. After reading the recipe etc I went on to read all the comments. I’m an avid comment reader because there is always a plethera of information to be added from other people’s experiences. Anything from where best to find ingredients to adjustments or substitutes to the recipe, and even explanations from people in the know regarding instances where it is not recommended for certain conditions or ailments.

After reading all the comments I do have a concern…one thread of information that seems to run through the entire post is that the commercial products can no longer be found on store shelves. As a logically thinking consumer, it makes me wonder why? I’m sure the large corporations/companies have many advisers and medical people on staff or as consultants that do testing and research on their products. Is it possible that they found out that these had a detrimental effect across the board? That in the long run do they cause more harm than good? Or, was it a money decision? Were they just not making enough profit on the product and decided to stop producing? I don’t know…maybe I’m playing the devil’s advocate? But, I personaly would like to know why they can no longer be found on the store shelves…I think I just found my next research project!

I was excited to try these, so I made a batch of 6 using different oil combos in each one. The first disk promptly melted in its entirety down the drain once the shower water hit it – no time for the oils to release. I moved the second one to the back of the tub where the direct shower water couldn’t reach it, but the oils didn’t release enough to notice. Thinking of putting the third in the middle of the tub on a washcloth. Also trying different drain-safe ingredients that will allow the disk to hang around longer when hit with direct water.

So I was another that had problems with them sticking to the liners and also the pan…bad. I used the pry them out with a fork and beat the pan on the trash can methods to remove them, lol. Now I’m not admitting nor am I denying the fact that I may have baked them too long.

Anyway since so many others have had this issue I thought I’d share what I did. On the next batch I actually rolled or patted them into circular like shapes, about the size of a ping pong ball then baked them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. If I’m remembering correctly I actually had to make them a bit dryer than yours, it needs to be dry enough to stick together and keep its shape.

I have used these for my son and I feel that it helped quite a bit. Also recently I used the last one for myself. I was having a horrible time with my sinuses and it definitely helped. From now one I will keep some on hand during cold/sinus season. Time to make some more!

Hallelujah! I love those things and they don’t make them anymore. I was thinking..can’t you smell the smoke ;),….instead of using the essential oils, what if you melted actual Vicks ointment or an off brand and add drops of that? Hmmmmmm….

Hi i tried this recipe last night and baked them at the recommened temp and time. However, when i took them out they were caked on the muffin pan:( I also made another batch and left them sitting overnight and it was still too watery, i put it in the shower anyway and it didn’t really disolve slowly and there where no eucalyptus vapors and i put a lot of drops of oil in it. any suggestions?

If baking soda is heated, It turns into washing soda.Washing soda seems to be dangerous to the respiratory system.Not completely sure, but it seems to me that way.But i sure like the idea. Ill research It a bit further.

My husband and I are miserably sick with a cold and I have searched high and low for the Vick’s shower tabs. I don’t know if they make them anymore, but I couldn’t find any. This will be an amazing relief! Absolutely brilliant! I have re-posted to Pinterest…and yes, it is addicting…Pinterest, not the vapo-tabs, although, they are borderline addicting too.

I saw a link to this blog on Pinterest. My son woke up this morning heavily congested and I knew I had to make some of these for him! I have a batch in the oven right now! Using your advice of 20 minutes in a 350 oven. Initial cost for the EO’s is high, compared to what you would pay for Vick’s, but I can use the EO’s in so much more now that I have them and was able to get 12 “pucks” out of the first batch. Thank you so much for sharing this!!

I think making these and giving them as gifts would be amazing!!! Tint them with a couple drops of food coloring n wrap em up pretty and type up an instruction sheet and recipe card with em… Pretty bows… YES, THIS MUST BE DONE!!! 🙂 lol

I think making these and giving them as gifts would be amazing!!! Tint them with a couple drops of food coloring n wrap em up pretty and type up an instruction sheet and recipe card with em… Pretty bows… YES, THIS MUST BE DONE!!! 🙂 lol

I made these the other day, and baked them in the oven, and then added the oils. But when I put them in the shower, directly in the path of the water, the dissolve in less then a minute. Mine look to be as big as the ones in the picture. Any idea why mine don’t last as long?

I just tried to make this using crushed fishermans friend because i dont have any of the oils. i followed the baking method and although it smelt amazing, it was a disaster! i guess the fishermans friend caused a reaction because the it all bubbled out of the muffin tray. so all that to say DONT BAKE WHEN USING FISHERMANS FRIEND. i was able to save them by putting all the content back in and re-hydrating it. im leaving it to dry overnight and ill see what happens in the morning.

I’m on the end of a stupid sinus cold and I’m doing the “slow bake” route so I can use one in my morning shower. HOLY COW the whole downstairs smells like peppermint and eucalyptus (couldn’t find rosemary oil and was too tired to go hunting….)It smells so much down here, in a good way, that I find myself wondering if there will be any oil scent when they’re dried. LOL

Thanks for sharing, these look easy and soothing. I wish I had one right now. I am thinking they can be used in the bathtub too… Great Idea and thank you Pinterest for pointing someone who pointed me…. in your direction. 🙂

If I were going to make these I’d use Eucalyptus Smithii, Basil and peppermint. That’s my blend for sinus / colds and it works great. If children are going to use it then make sure your Eucalyptus is the Smithii and not the Globulus variety.

I tried these and unfortunately they didn’t work. Did I do something wrong? I mixed the baking soda and water until it was what I considered “putty-like,” and added the oils. I let mine sit out overnight and in the morning they were still somewhat moist, so I popped them in the oven for about 10 minutes. I made mine in the mini-muffin tins. Mine did come out a bit crumbly and washed away almost the minute the shower water touch it. I’d made them for my husband who gets horrible allergy attacks, and his showers last maybe 10-15 minutes tops. He mentioned that when he had the Shower Soothers the pucked ingredients had been compacted, so maybe that was why they didn’t hold up so well. But I spent about 25 dollars on all the ingredients in hopes I’d get my money’s worth. Please reply.

This did NOT work for me. I followed the “updated” directions with the 1 c baking soda and 1/3 c water with a little bit more water as needed. I baked them and when I tried to pull them out (I used liners) the liners tore and the “stuff” inside started crumbling. Once they cool I will try to add the oils to the puck but I’m really disappointed in how they turned out. The savings is not worth the hassle.

Have you tried making these without the liners and putting the mixture directly into muffin pan? Just wondering. I am wondering whether when the discs dry and you take the liner off if some of the mixture come off with it like a cupcake sometimes does.

I am responding to my post here as I experimented with this. I tried using a standard tin muffin pan, a silicone muffin pan and whoopie pie tin. I had the best result with the standard muffin pan sprayed with pam. I baked them for 20 minutes and they came right out. I did not use any liners. I let them air dry for an additional 12 hours. I haven’t used one yet, so I will have to update in regards how quickly it melts away in the shower.

I just stopped by from Pinterest….I’ve veen reading all the comments and would like to say, I agree with almost everything you have to say; but would like to offer a suggestion or a solution to the evaporation of the EOs after a time.

I used to make all my own soaps and bath bombs and the like for over 20 years, sold enough that I didn’t have to work for a year. I traveled a lot and one thing I learned from people who made essential oils is that evaporation overtime is not something you can control.

BUT, you can control when you add the oils to you product as in the case of bath bombs, bath salts, sugar scrubs, and now your vapor disks. All you have to do is make the recipe as above and leave out the oils. Let the disks dry ad you normally wouls, put them in baggies, or airtight containers, then add the oils to the product before you need them. I’ve tried this many times and you will need to let the oil absorb in the product for a while maybe 1 to 2 hours, then add one to the shower along with your sick child or family member.

So I was super excited to try these as I am currently 21 weeks pregnant and have a nasty head cold, but the first batch that I baked in the oven (just baking soda and water) in paper liners at 350 for 20 min is still stuck in my muffin tin. I have now resorted to trying to soak them out. I tried taking them out of the tin while still warm and they were still unbelievably stuck. So then I tried a second batch in a silicone muffin tray and I left them in there to cool overnight, but they crumble into a million pieces when I try to take them out. Do they need to bake longer? shorter? I ended up putting the crumbles into a small bowl and added my EOs to that and used it in the shower this morning, but it would be nice to get them into a “puck” for ease of use. 🙂 Would love any suggestions. Thanks! ~ Jen

I attempted these last night, but after letting them sit overnight, I’m concerned that I didn’t get the texture right. It seems that mine are still a bit watery – is there a way to salvage that? Could I bake them to harden them?

So I just made these since my son is sick. I baked them and must have missed the part where you said to add the oils after you bake…the WHOLE house now smells like a vicks factory! LOL…Have you ever experienced difficulty in removal from muffin tin?

Sorry but these were an epic fail for me! I tried the updated recipe and baked them. The “puck” fused with the paper liner and stuck to the muffin tin (I now have it soaking). I waited until it was partially cooled to pull them out. Oh well, guess I’m back to putting some essential oil on a washcloth! :/

So I tried them the original way, and it instantly fell apart and went down the drain. Then I did a batch of adding the oils after, one batch in the oven and one batch just left out, and they are both still just as crumbly. And I did the 1 part water to 3 parts baking soda thing. Does anyone know why I can’t get this to work? It’s wasting all of the oils…

So I tried one more time, less than 2/3 cup of water for 2 cups of baking soda to fill 12 muffin cups. I put a little spearmint eo in the bottom of each and didn’t use the paper cups. Then I packed the baking soda water mixture, which was very thick, like a paste-dough consistency, in each cup. The oil was so they didn’t stick like people were saying they were. Baked for 20 min at 350. Then once cool enough to touch, I flipped the pan onto a sheet of parchment paper to get them out and dripped oil on them. I tested one in the sink and it seems like they will last the longest, but I still have to test them in the shower. The outside seems to last longer than the middle, so I may try baking them for a halfhour to really dry out the centre.

Tried to bake them and they burned around the edges and were soft in the middle. Will try leaving them out overnight. I get my oils from The Organic Witch…very cheap and they carry therapeutic and organic oils. She has an ebay store.

saw someone ask earlier about using them in the bath, You dont need them in a bath, you can just add some oil drops to the tub, no baking soda needed. depending on the oil used and how much you use, it might leave a slight oily residue on your skin/tub. I usually shower first to clean off and soak with oils in the tub just for relaxing, lavendar is amazing for using right before bed =)

I made some with eucalyptus and peppermint (not a lavender fan) a few days ago. I wanted to first try the air-dry method b/c it just seems easier than baking then having to add oil to each individual disk. It’s taken several days for them to harden and they are still pretty soft, but I used one this morning. I think it needed more oil, but otherwise seemed to work as described. I can’t imagine that anything made of just baking soda and water will hold together very well, but I’m going to try using less water next time to see if I can get them a little less soft.

I’m heading out to meet my boyfriend in Las Vegas and am hoping to take some of these with me (provided the airline doesn’t confiscate them). He has been filming in the casinos for a week and is very sensitive to cigarette smoke. I am hoping to surprise him with some fantastic relief in the shower! Thank you so much for this recipe!

Really kicking myself right now! I saw your recipie about a month ago and thought “I need to make these.” Now I’m sitting here with horrible allergies and tonsillitis and thinking, “Crap, I wish I made these a month ago, I’d have them at my ready, and now I’m out of baking soda because I JUST HAD to clean that stupid shower head the other day!” I can’t wait for my hubby to rescue me with my odd request of baking soda and EO…..

I made these and am a bit disapointed in the end result. I am going to bake mine for a bit in the oven in hopes that this will help with the crumble effect that i have gotten, As soon as water hits them they are a gonner and become a crumbled mess that only last just a few minutes at best. Not long enough to be effective. I will post again later with the results of baking.

Please – if you are using these for children – use Eucalyptus Smithii and NOT Eucalyptus Globulus (the common one). E. Smithii is much gentler for a little one and the one reputable aromatherapists recommend. Also, adding peppermint and basil will also help with decongestion.Yes, I’m an aromatherapist. Don’t bake them – heat will destroy any essential oils in the blend. (That’s why there’s really no such thing as an aromatherapy candle…..)

I made these as you said at first and then I tried the more measured one you posted and they just didn’t really turn out they are crumbly but smell amazing. I honestly just don’t understand how it is really supposed to work if you bake them, all you do is bake the water out and you just have baking soda again and it is crumbly. How are they really supposed to hold together?

I’m just a Mom, not a doctor but I know there were different comments about asthma, which I have, and I LOVE Vick’s! When I have such a stuffy nose that I can’t breathe because of my sinus’ I just put Vick’s on my chest and my nose opens up so I can sleep! Sleep is my friend! Ha! My son also has asthma, (he only has to use his inhaler when he’s playing sports), and I do the same for him so he’s able to sleep. I believe our bodies need sleep to heal us. Usually when I get a cold it goes right for my chest, which makes me cough. The Vick’s doesn’t stop the coughing, it just calms down my bronchial tubes enough so I can sleep better. I still cough where I bring up gunk during the day and sometimes at night. Maybe because there are different types of asthma, it only effects different ones? I don’t know. All I know is on my bottle of Vick’s the only thing is says about asthma is to consult a doctor first if you have persistent or chronic cough such as occurs with asthma.

I just love this. Yes the essential oils due over time evaporate but what I do is add a little vicks vapor (for the humidifier) just before throwing in the shower. Works great. I also found that it is best to just let them dry out on their own instead of baking them.

I have read through the comments more than once and I was just curious if anyone had luck without baking them. I would rather just mix it all together and let them sit out to harden. Also, has anyone found that a specific size worked better? I just bought several silicone baking trays of various sizes from Jo-Anns with 50% off coupons. Hooray for savings! Now ready to create because I have severe indoor and outdoor allergies as well as already having had a few colds this fall/winter (I’m on my second round of antibiotics). Thanks so much in advance!

Also AWESOME. I made these yesterday, too, in addition to the lip balm you posted! I am in love with this. SO helpful. And my Christmas gifts are done:) I used Eucalyptus, Peppermint, and an oil called Cold and Flu (which was a freebie with my order), and they smell wonderful.

I get bronchitis and have sinus problems. I was devastated when Vicks removed these from the market, so THANKS SO MUCH for this post. One question though, could you substitute the oils for Vicks? Just wondering cause I have Vicks on hand and am in dire need of these right now!

I made these – followed both directions one for baking and one for leaving out…. i tried both pucks and got 0 result… any suggestions? I double checked that i had good quality oils and that i did everything right…. i seem to be the only one having trouble!!

Just letting yall know that you can use the menthol liquid that you use in a the vicks humidifier and it works WONDERS! I made them for my mom who swears vicks is a miracle cure for everything, and she loves them.

I was looking up shower soother tablets when I came across your blog. I am so glad I did! I have a little one who is extremely congested & though I use the vapor bath while running our little steam room, it just doesn’t do it good enough. I am going to make a batch with one extra ingredient, peppermint oil. It is in the Little Remedies chest rub as an additional decongestant so I thought…why not! Thank you for posting this!!!

Speaking of peppermint! you could brew strong peppermint tea, cool it, and use it as the water added to the baking soda! just a thought! but it would add a wonderful menthol sent. Celestial Seasonings is the best i’ve used. haven’t made the pucks yet, just drinking the tea!

Thank you! I work at a pharmacy and used to buy the Sudacare Shower Soothers all the time and was so upset when they stopped selling them. I get really bad colds that skip gleefully through bronchitis and end in pneumonia in a week, a result of bad colds every winter for at least 15 years, and the old Soothers really helped. I’ve been hording my last Soother for a few years now, and now I don’t have to! I can’t wait to try making these.

Just a big suggestions if you are pregnant DO NOT use these without talking to your doctor and doing research. Some EO can cause birth defects and even miscarriages at ALL points in your pregnancy. I heard this A LOT and never used any and my mom was looking for a way to help my dad get better and found all the list of oils and researched them to find most were harmefull to pregnant women.

I just found your site on TipJunkie and it came at the perfect time, I’ve got the flu and needed something to make me feel better, you are hysterical I’ve been laughing, coughing, laughing for about an hour now, I think my husband is ready to send me to the looney bin. You have been bookmarked…thanks

I just made these and they smell wonderful! The only problem I had with these was baking them at 350 for 20 mins. They were bubbling in the oven (so I lowered the temp to 300) and were very difficult to remove from the pan. Once I got them out, they basically crumbled and fell apart. So…I mashed them up with a little more water and re-poured them into smaller, mini muffin liners and will let them air dry and see what happens!

what a lovely idea will be making some of these also i use to work in a tanning,Tattoo and piercing studio and we used essential oils all the time especially lavender for the belly button piercings and would tell the people to use the lavender after they cleaned the area. because it is a natural antiseptic.when using it they applied it with a qtip

If you have asthma or a chronic lung condition.. do NOT use the rosemary oil. Eucalyptus oil has the same antiviral properties. Rosemary oil can cause bronco spasms (worsen the cough).. Also if your child gets croup “All the time”. You might be looking at asthma. I have learned that an asthma attack looks exactly like pneumonia on an xray. ~Amber

Thank you soooo much for this post! I found you on Pinterest just browsing! I used these bad boys when Vicks made them, bought 1 box then they are no where to be found anymore! The way I’m feeling currently I could def use these! I am very excited to try making my own! 🙂 thanks again!

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I made these and used two days in a row. I have allergies and a chronic sinus infection. On day 1 I was breathing better than I had in years. After day 2 my nose was a bit runny for about a week. About three weeks later I’m still breathing better. It’s been so long since I was able to breathe through my nose I almost forgot what it felt like! I did find out that the cafeteria at work has some odd smells. These are awesome and I can’t thank you enought for sharing the recipe. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I was so excited when I found this recipe, but alas, it was too good to be true for me. I tried making them twice, using the most updated recipe. They completely fell apart in the shower, nothing like the original shower soothers. I didn;t even get a whiff of the essential oils. Bummer, I was so hopeful!

I think you could also use the Vicks liquid used in the vaporizer. just a teaspoon should work. I use it in the shower sometimes. will try it with that and see if it works. could use with or instead of the oils.

I made these tonight and am a little worried that I didn’t do it right, I mixed in enough baking soda to make a thick paste but once in the cup cake liners it looks like a thin layer of water on the top, is there any way to salvage?

I made these tonight, and used the baking method and they came out very crumbly. And ideas how to stop that? Im going to leave them out over night to see if that helps. I love the idea of these. My whole house is sick and I think they would come in very handy.

I was so excited to find this recipe for clearing my sinuses so I made it right away. I followed the recipe exactly. Baked at 350 for 20 minutes then added the EO after the disks cooled. My problem is that the muffin papers stuck to the pan and I can’t get them out without crumbling the disks apart. Any ideas?

i just made these… i used mini foil liners vs the giant cupcakes.. since we have wee ones that take 2 min. showers and we are not in for long… i have not tried.. just took them out of the oven… and after adding the EO.. my house smells amazing and i can breathe, and i dont have a cold!!! will try on my 5 yr old soon for shower night since she is soooo stuffy!!! thanks for this!!!

I don’t know if I did something wrong but these just did not work for me.I did not add the Rosemary because I was told that it was not good for people with high blood pressure. They just turned to mush and did not smell. I so wanted them to work had horrible virus for weeks!

Made some of these last night. Mixed the water and baking soda last night and put them in the oven with the light on over night. They dried nicely. Before I used one I put EO in it. I’m making more now but they are a little bigger so they last longer in the shower. Love this idea. Thank you!

I use 2 to 1 soda and powdered citric acid (also called sour salt) and put the oils in a spray bottle with witch hazel . spray and mix till the mixture clumps up . I make balls but the muffin tin idea is great. this makes more of a foaming affect ,and if you get it even close to right they won’t fall apart. can also add a bit of tea tree oil and oil of menthol as well. Just a few ideas for variation . hope you don’t mind . A great place for the essential oils is Puritan’s Pride, most of the time you buy 1 bottle and get 2 free , and they have a huge selection all pharmaceutical grade oils

YOU ARE AWESOME! We used to buy the Vicks Vapor Pucks all the time cause they were so awesome when we had colds, and then they were impossible to find in stores OR online. I’m so happy to find this! THANK YOU!

This is a fantastic idea ~ Shared!!! I am a rep for Young Living Essential Oils and just love seeing how everyone uses them! Thieves was mentioned in an earlier post and it’s amazing! A drop or two would kick this up a notch for sure!

Hi! Just spotted this recipe on Pinterest and wanted to say thanks! I’ve been hoarding a box of “the real thing” for awhile but the tablets have pretty much turned to dust. I’m allergic to almost everything used to treat Bronchitis these days and I usually have a wicked bout every 5 years or so. I’m overdue and paranoid. 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe!! I’m going to make some for me and my sister, who gets worse allergies than I do. I’m going to explore your blog further… Thank you for taking the time to do this!!

There was a version of these on the market years ago called Shower Soothers. I haven’t been able to find them in a long time. Thanks for this version. They were extremely helpful for a little girl with chronic sinus problems.

Also for the bath at one time was Healing Gardens cold remedy. Don’t know if they make that anymore either. Was really nice for the bath.

Also, lavender allergy DOES exist, and it is real, and it has NOTHING to do with the brand you used. All oils are therapeutic by nature, just because a company claims something does not make it the truth. There are also no rules or regulations regarding terminology in the Essential Oil world, words like “certified” are only certified by that company and mean nothing. Learning about EOs dot com has tons of information from non-biased individuals and we’ve done private testing as well in regard to the purity of oils, no one company has the market cornered on having the purest oils, that’s just a lie the reps are told, and the reps repeat it unknowingly.

I also saw a question about freezing them, although did not notice an answer – can they be frozen if you make a whole bunch? could this extend the life of the EO as opposed to just storing in a cool dry place?

Its 2:1 baking soda to citric acid, add water til they stick. Obiviously add the oils to the dry mixture. That way you dont need to bake it, you just let the mixture air dry cause you only add a small amount of water. You can also use witch hazel but for a steamy shower it seems a waste. For a bath bomb its good cause its nice on the skin.

Has anyone suggested using a drop or two of food coloring? I think I’m going to try these, wrap them in some clear cellophane and give as a “Get Well” gift with card. Not to mention keeping plenty on hand for me!

Like so many of you, I have used the SudaCare tablets and was sad to learn they were discontinued. I’m glad I stumbled across this recipe. Has anyone tried adding a drop or two of food coloring? Would make a nice “get well” gift with card. Will try it.

From the dates on the latest posts it looks like I am way behind but…….thought I’d ask my stupid question anyway. I am making up sets of Mason Jar gifts for family and close friends for the holidays this year. I would like to include a jar of these in each set. Now for the stupid question….do I remove the paper liners before I put them in the jars or leave them on for the person to remove just before they use them?

These are great! I feels so slow having just found these, and I heard about then from another parent at my sons school, as its cold season now. I did wonder though, if there was a way to add color to them? I’m reluctant to try food color because I don’t want to stain skin, but is there something out there I could use? Has anyone else tried adding color?

Question: what about TeaTree Oil. It is also anti viral.. Can I use this also in a blend with EO’S as peppermint, rosemary, lavender? Thx for the wonderful work you’ve been doing for all of us!!! I’m grateful to that.. xxx

i dont know if this thread it too old to still comment, but i am wanting to make these for my partner’s family for christmas and was wondering what the significance to adding the essential oils after the baking soda/water mix. does the oil loose scent if its left out to dry with the puck? i want these to be perfect! thanks!

I took this wonderful idea one step further….in addition to making the decongestant pucks, I also made some “aromatherapy pucks”. I substituted the essential oils for others (lavender, rose, lemon, orange, etc.) and followed the same procedure as above. Now I choose one “flavour” before my shower, and start my day with the enlightening aroma of rose, or lemon, etc.

Made these tonight only I didn’t want to pay the ridiculous amount my esoteric store wanted to charge for rosemary oil so instead I got some fresh, wild growing sprigs and added those to the top… it may not be as potent as the oils but it sure does look pretty 🙂 http://instagram.com/iNhRXPQ5Gb/

When making ours we tried using both silicone and paper baking cups. The paper was almost impossible to get off. Do you know if they would release easier if we sprayed Pam on the baking cups before baking them? (Or some other type of spay oil?)